The 2021 U.S. Women's Open was the 76th

U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open is one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, ...

, played June 3–6, 2021 at The Olympic Club in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The U.S. Women's Open is the oldest of the five current major championships and was the second of the

2021 season 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. It has the largest purse in women's golf at $5.5 million. The winner was the Philippines'

Yuka Saso (born 20 June 2001) is a Japanese professional golfer. Saso was born in the Philippines, competing for them through 2021, having won the first ever gold medal for the Philippines in both women's individual and women's team event in Asian Games ...

, who defeated Japan's

Nasa Hataoka is a Japanese professional golfer. She has won six times on the LPGA Tour and six times on the LPGA of Japan Tour. Amateur career Hataoka was born on 13 January 1999, named after the United States space program, NASA. As an amateur, she won the ...

on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff after both players had tied at 280 (4 under par). In third place was American

Lexi Thompson Alexis Noel Thompson (born February 10, 1995) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 12 in 2007 U.S. Women's Open, 2007, she was the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open, since broken b ...

, who had held a five stroke lead just before the midway point of the final round but dropped five strokes on the back-nine, including bogeys on each of the last two holes, to miss the playoff by one stroke.

Venue

The 2021 U.S. Women's Open was played on The Olympic Club's Lake course, which had previously hosted the men's U.S. Open five times. It was the first time the tournament had been in California since 2016, when it took place at

CordeValle Golf Club CordeValle is a private golf course and spa resort on the West Coast of the United States, located near San Martin, California, southeast of San Jose. It is in the Santa Clara Valley, near the eastern edge of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The club ...

Course layout

Yardage by round

Field

The field for the U.S. Women's Open is made up of players who gain entry through qualifying events and those who are exempt from qualifying. The exemption criteria include provision for recent major champions, winners of major amateur events, and leading players in the

Women's World Golf Rankings The Women's World Golf Rankings, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Rolex Rankings, were introduced in February 2006. They are sanctioned by 12 women's golf tours and the organisations behind them: Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPG ...

. 156 players will make up the field.

Exemptions

This list details the exemption criteria for the 2021 U.S. Women's Open and the players who qualified under them; any additional criteria under which players are exempt is indicated in parentheses. 1. Recent winners of the

(2011–2020) * Choi Na-yeon *

Chun In-gee Chun In-gee (, born 10 August 1994), also known as In Gee Chun, is a South Korean professional golfer. She was born in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province. She is a three-time major champion, having won the 2015 U.S. Women's Open, the 2016 Evian C ...

(7,15) *

Ariya Jutanugarn Ariya Jutanugarn (, , ; born 23 November 1995) is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the American-based LPGA Tour. She was born in Bangkok. She is the first golfer, male or female, from Thailand to win a major championship. She became the nu ...

(2,8,10,15) * Kim A-lim (2,10,15) *

Brittany Lang Brittany Lang (born August 22, 1985) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. She has won one major championship, the 2016 U.S. Women's Open. Amateur career Born in Richmond, Virginia and raised in McKinney, Texas, Lang ...

* Lee Jeong-eun (2,15) *

Inbee Park Inbee Park (, or ; born 12 July 1988) is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour and the LPGA of Japan Tour. She has been the number one ranked player in the Women's World Golf Rankings for four separate runs: April 201 ...

(2,9,10,15) * Park Sung-hyun (6,15) *

Ryu So-yeon Ryu So-yeon (; ; born 29 June 1990), also known as So Yeon Ryu, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour and on the LPGA of Korea Tour. She is a two-time major winner having won the 2011 U.S. Women's Open and the 2017 A ...

(5,9,15) *

Michelle Wie West Michelle Sung Wie West (; born October 11, 1989) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 10, she became the youngest player to qualify for a USGA amateur championship. Wie also became the youngest winner of the U. ...

2. The leading ten players, and those tying for tenth place, in the 2020 U.S. Women's Open * Moriya Jutanugarn (9,15) * Megan Khang (15) *

Ko Jin-young Ko Jin-young (;, born 7 July 1995), also known as Jin Young Ko, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. By age 22 years, she had won 10 times on the LPGA of Korea Tour, was second at the 2015 Ricoh Women's British Ope ...

(5,7,10,14,15) * Amy Olson (9,15) * Kaitlyn Papp (a) *

Hinako Shibuno is a Japanese professional golfer who won the 2019 Women's British Open. Early years Shibuno was born in Okayama, Japan on 15 November 1998. Her father was a discus thrower and her mother was a javelin thrower. She is the middle child of the ...

(8,15) 3. The winner of the 2020

U.S. Women's Amateur The U.S. Women's Amateur, also known as the United States Women's Amateur Golf Championship, is the leading golf tournament in the United States for female amateur golfers. It is played annually and is one of the 13 United States national golf ch ...

Rose Zhang Rose Zhang ( born May 24, 2003) is an American professional golfer. She won the 2020 U.S. Women's Amateur, and both the 2022 and NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships, 2023 NCAA Division I Championships, becoming the first woman to win the i ...

(a,13) 4. The runner-up in the 2020 U.S. Women's Amateur * ~~Gabriela Ruffels~~ 5. Recent winners of the

ANA Inspiration The Chevron Championship is a professional women's golf tournament. An event on the LPGA Tour, it is one of the tour's five major championships, and has traditionally been the first of the season since its elevation to major status in 1983. Sinc ...

(2017–2021) *

Mirim Lee Mirim Lee (born 25 October 1990), also known as Lee Mi-rim, is a South Korean professional golfer. Lee turned professional in 2009. She played on the LPGA of Korea Tour since 2010 and won three events on that tour. She began playing on the U.S.- ...

(10,15) * Pernilla Lindberg * Patty Tavatanakit (10,14,15) 6. Recent winners of the

Women's PGA Championship The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...

(2017–2020) * Hannah Green (15) *

Danielle Kang Danielle Grace Kang (born October 20, 1992) is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. As an amateur, she won the U.S. Women's Amateur twice, in 2010 and 2011. She won the 2017 KPMG Women's PGA Championship, an LPGA ...

(9,10,14,15) *

Kim Sei-young Kim Sei-young (born 21 January 1993), also known as Sei Young Kim, is a South Korean professional golfer. Kim plays on the LPGA of Korea Tour and the LPGA Tour. She has won five times on the LPGA of Korea Tour and twelve times on the LPGA Tour ...

(9,10,14,15) 7. Recent winners of

Evian Championship The Evian Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as The Amundi Evian Championship, is a women's professional golf tournament in France, played at the Evian Resort Golf Club in Évian-les-Bains. It was originally held in June, move ...

(2016–2019) *

Anna Nordqvist --> , death_place = , height = , weight = , nationality = , residence = Orlando, Florida, U.S. , spouse = , partner = , children = , college = Arizona State University (2.5 years) , yearpro = ...

(9,15) *

Angela Stanford Angela Gwen Stanford (born November 28, 1977) is an American professional golfer who currently competes on the LPGA Tour. Amateur career Born and raised in Saginaw, Texas, Stanford won the Fort Worth Girls Championship four times (1993–1996), ...

(9,10) 8. Recent winners of Women’s British Open (2016–2020) *

Georgia Hall Georgia Kelly Hall (born 12 April 1996) is an English professional golfer. She plays on the Ladies European Tour, and the LPGA Tour. She has won one major, the 2018 Women's British Open. Hall won the British Ladies Amateur Golf Championship ...

(9,10,15) * In-Kyung Kim *

Sophia Popov Sophia Popov (born 2 October 1992) is a German professional golfer who competes on the LPGA Tour. Personal life Popov holds dual United States-German citizenship, having been born in the United States, and moved to Germany with her family when s ...

(10,15) 9. The leading 30 players from the 2020 LPGA Race to the CME Globe final points standings *

Céline Boutier Céline Boutier (born 10 November 1993) is a French professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. She has multiple wins on both tours including one major, the 2023 Evian Championship. Amateur career Boutier won se ...

(15) *

Ashleigh Buhai Ashleigh Ann Buhai (née Simon, born 11 May 1989) is a South African professional golfer who won the 2022 Women's Open, one of the major championships in women's golf. Amateur career Buhai had a successful amateur career. She was the younges ...

(15) *

Carlota Ciganda Carlota Ciganda Machiñena (born 1 June 1990) is a professional golfer from Spain who plays on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour. She won the LET's Order of Merit (money title) in her debut season in 2012, and was also named Player of ...

(15) * Austin Ernst (10,14,15) * Jodi Ewart Shadoff * Ally Ewing (10,15) *

(15) *

Brooke Henderson Brooke Mackenzie Henderson (born 10 September 1997) is a Canadian professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. Henderson was named the Canadian Press female athlete of the year for 2015, 2017 and 2018. She won her first Women's major golf championship ...

(10,15) *

Stacy Lewis Stacy Lewis (born February 16, 1985) is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She has won two major championships: the Kraft Nabisco Championship in 2011 and the Women's British Open in 2013. She was ranked number one in ...

(10,15) * Cheyenne Knight *

Lydia Ko Dame Lydia Ko (born 24 April 1997) is a New Zealand professional golfer, member of the LPGA Hall of Fame, and the reigning Olympic champion. She first reached number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings on 2 February 2015 at of age, makin ...

(10,14,15) *

Nelly Korda Nelly Korda (born July 28, 1998) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour, where she has won 15 times and reached number one in the Women's World Golf Rankings. Korda won the Olympic gold medal at the women's individual g ...

(10,14,15) *

Jennifer Kupcho Jennifer Anne Kupcho (born May 14, 1997) is an American professional golfer. Amateur career As a junior at Wake Forest University, she was named the winner of the Honda Sports Award for golf. As a senior, Kupcho won the inaugural Augusta Nation ...

(15) * Minjee Lee * Gaby López (15) * Yealimi Noh (15) * Park Hee-young *

Mel Reid Melissa Rose Reid (born 19 September 1987) is an English professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour.Madelene Sagström (15) * Jennifer Song (15) * Thidapa Suwannapura 10. Winners of official

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

events from the originally scheduled date of the 2020 U.S. Women's Open to the start of the 2021 tournament * Hsu Wei-Ling *

Kim Hyo-joo Kim Hyo-joo (; ; born 14 July 1995), also known as Hyo Joo Kim, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA of Korea Tour. She won the 2014 Evian Championship while setting the record for lowest 18-hole score at a major with a 6 ...

(15) * Jessica Korda (14,15) 11. The winner of the 2021 Augusta National Women's Amateur * Tsubasa Kajitani (a) 12. The winner of the 2020 Womens Amateur Championship * Aline Krauter (a) 13. The winner of the Mark H. McCormack Medal in 2020 14. The leading 10 players on the 2021 Race to CME Globe points standings as of April 14, 2021 *

(15) 15. The leading 75 players on the

as of April 14, 2021 * Marina Alex *

Brittany Altomare Brittany Altomare (born November 19, 1990) is an American professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour. She finished runner-up in the 2017 Evian Championship, losing to Anna Nordqvist in a playoff. She had finished tied for third in ...

Shanshan Feng Shanshan Feng (, ; born 5 August 1989) is a Chinese former professional golfer who previously played on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She was the first player from China to become a member of the LPGA Tour, which she joined in 2008. Feng had 10 vic ...

* Kristen Gillman *

Charley Hull Charley Esmee Hull (born 20 March 1996) is an English professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the LPGA Tour. Aged 9, Hull won the Ladies Golf Union Championship, playing against adults. She went o ...

M. J. Hur Mi Jung "M.J." Hur (, born 5 December 1989) is a South Korean female professional golfer. Hur played most of her amateur career in South Korea. In 2006, she received a sponsors exemption to play in the Hana Bank-KOLON Championship and made the m ...

Ji Eun-hee Ji Eun-hee (; born 13 May 1986), also known as Eun-Hee Ji, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is also a member of the South Korean KLPGA. She was born in Gapyeong, South Korea. LPGA career Ji joine ...

* Lee Da-yeon * Lee Mi-hyang * Liu Yu *

Nanna Koerstz Madsen Nanna Koerstz Madsen (born 23 October 1994) is a Danish professional golfer who plays on the American LPGA Tour and maintains membership of the Ladies European Tour (LET). She won the 2022 Honda LPGA Thailand and made history becoming the first ...

* Caroline Masson *

Emily Kristine Pedersen Emily Kristine Pedersen (born 7 March 1996) is a Danish professional golfer who plays on the Ladies European Tour and LPGA Tour. She had a successful amateur career winning the 2013 International European Ladies Amateur Championship and the 2014 ...

* Lizette Salas *

* Angel Yin *

Amy Yang Amy Yang, also known as Yang Hee-Young (, born 28 July 1989) is a South Korean professional golfer, currently playing on the United States–based LPGA Tour and on the Ladies European Tour (LET). Amateur career Yang began playing golf at age 10 ...

*'' Choi Hye-jin and

Ryu Hae-ran Ryu Hae-ran (born 23 March 2001), also known as Hae Ran Ryu, is a South Korean professional golfer and LPGA Tour player. She has five wins on the LPGA of Korea Tour. Amateur career Ryu was a top amateur in Korea and won the 2018 Korean Women's ...

did not play.'' 16. The leading 75 players on the Women's World Golf Rankings not otherwise exempt as of May 17, 2021 *

Lin Xiyu Lin Xiyu ( zh, 林希妤; born 25 February 1996), also known as Xi Yu Lin and by her English name Janet, is a Chinese professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. She won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Professional career Lin t ...

* Jenny Shin *'' Yuna Nishimura and Miyū Yamashita did not play.'' 17. The leading player from the 2020 China LPGA Tour order of merit not otherwise exempt as of April 14, 2021 *

Yin Ruoning Yin Ruoning (born 28 September 2002) is a Chinese professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. At age 20, she won the 2023 Women's PGA Championship becoming the second women's major championship winner from China. Yin rose to num ...

18. The top four finishers in the 2020 South African Women's Open *

Nicole Garcia Nicole Garcia (born 22 April 1946) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. Her film '' Charlie Says'' was entered into the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Her film '' Going Away'' was screened in the Special Presentation section at the ...

* Leonie Harm * Karolin Lampert * Lee-Anne Pace 19. The leading two players from the 2020 LPGA of Korea Tour order of merit not otherwise exempt as of April 14, 2021 20. Special exemptions *

Paula Creamer Paula Creamer (born August 5, 1986)''Current Biography Yearbook 2011''p. 128 is an American professional golfer on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. As a professional, she has won 12 tournaments, including 10 LPGA Tour events. Creamer has been as high ...

Cristie Kerr Cristie Kerr (born October 12, 1977) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. She has 20 wins on the LPGA Tour, including two major championships, and over $19 million in career earnings. Kerr was the number one-ranked go ...

Qualifying

The championship is open to any female professional or amateur golfer with a USGA or

World Handicap System A golf handicap is a numerical measure of a golfer's ability, or potential ability, that is used to enable players of different abilities to compete against one another. Better players are those with the lowest handicaps. Historically, rules relat ...

index not exceeding 2.4. Players may qualify by competing in tournaments of over 36 holes held between April 21 and May 13, 2021, at 22 designated sites. The following table details the players who qualified.

Alternates who gained entry

The following players gained a place in the field having finished as the leading alternates in the specified final qualifying events: * Addie Baggarly (a, Ormond Beach) *

Cheng Ssu-Chia Ssu-Chia Cheng ( zh, c=程思嘉; born 27 October 1997) is a Taiwanese professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Early life and amateur career Cheng started playing golf at the age of 8 and as an amateur won four events on the Taiwan LPG ...

(Half Moon Bay) * Daniela Darquea (St. Peters) * Leigha Devine (a, Spring Lake) *

Muni He Muni "Lily" He (何沐妮 born 16 June 1999) is a Chinese professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. Early life and education Muni He was born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Her father, a hotelier and restaurateur, introduced her to ...

(Woodburn) * Minori Nagano (a, Bradenton) * Natalie Srinivasan (Southern Pines) * Ayako Uehara (Beaumont) *

Britney Yada Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. An influential figur ...

(Westminster)

Round summaries

First round

''Thursday, June 3, 2021'' Source:

Second round

''Friday, June 4, 2021'' Source:

Third round

''Saturday, June 5, 2021'' Source:

Final round

''Sunday, June 6, 2021'' Source:

Scorecard

''Cumulative tournament scores, relative to par''
:

Playoff

*''Two-hole aggregate playoff on holes 9 and 18 before a sudden-death playoff on hole 9''

Scorecard

''Cumulative playoff scores, relative to par''
Source:

Notes

References

External links

*
United States Golf Association website
{{Golf on NBC U.S. Women's Open Golf tournaments in California Sports competitions in San Francisco Women's sports in San Francisco